Why don’t I have a father? Cathy is 10 years old when she starts asking questions. The secret her mum Maggie is forced to reveal changes everything.

Years later, when lawyers and a geneticist turn up in their hometown in Kenya to take DNA samples, Maggie hopes they can help her finally learn the truth.

Searching for Soldier Dad is a BBC Long Form Audio production for the BBC World Service.

Please note, the image being used is for illustrative purposes only and the child depicted is a model.

Presenter: Ivana Davidovic Series producer: Josephine Casserly Sound design: Tom Brignell Executive producer: Matt Willis Commissioning senior producers: Katy Davis and Anne Dixey Commissioning editor: Jon Manel

How did the hunt for an American serial killer inspire DNA detectives in Kenya?

Growing up, Kenyan lawyer Kelvin Kubai admired the British soldiers stationed in Nanyuki. Now, he is on a mission to hold them accountable.

Orphan Yvonne was told her dad died when she was a baby. She hopes to find relatives in the UK. But could she get much more?

Searching for Soldier Dad is a BBC Long Form Audio production for the BBC World Service.

Presenter: Ivana Davidovic Series producer: Josephine Casserly Sound design: Tom Brignell Executive producer: Matt Willis Commissioning senior producers: Katy Davis and Anne Dixey Commissioning editor: Jon Manel

Cathy and Peter confront their demons. Their searches for their fathers take them to dark and desperate places.

And back in London, it’s time to reveal the results of the DNA analysis, with life-changing consequences.

This episode contains references to suicide and self-harm, which some listeners may find upsetting.

If you are suffering distress or despair and need support, you could speak to a health professional, or an organisation that offers support. Details of help available in many countries can be found at Befrienders Worldwide. www.befrienders.org

Searching for Soldier Dad is a BBC Long Form Audio production for the BBC World Service.

Presenter: Ivana Davidovic Series producer: Josephine Casserly Sound design: Tom Brignell Executive producer: Matt Willis Commissioning senior producers: Katy Davis and Anne Dixey Commissioning editor: Jon Manel

Lawyer James has an extraordinary breakthrough for teenage orphan Yvonne. Could her father be alive?

Meanwhile, it’s time for the big day in court. Can the legal team convince the judge to confirm Cathy and Peter’s fathers?

Searching for Soldier Dad is a BBC Long Form Audio production for the BBC World Service.

Presenter: Ivana Davidovic Series producer: Josephine Casserly Sound design: Tom Brignell Executive producer: Matt Willis Commissioning senior producers: Katy Davis and Anne Dixey Commissioning editor: Jon Manel

Cathy and Peter are now speaking with their dads. But are the new relationships all they hoped for?

Lawyer James Netto has a “day in court like no other” when a father makes a shock appearance.

And we travel to a barracks in the South of England to ask pressing questions of the British Army.

Searching for Soldier Dad is a BBC Long Form Audio production for the BBC World Service.

Presenter: Ivana Davidovic Series producer: Josephine Casserly Sound design: Tom Brignell Executive producer: Matt Willis Commissioning senior producers: Katy Davis and Anne Dixey Commissioning editor: Jon Manel

What’s been happening in our investigation since the last episode? Tristan Redman talks to season host Ivana Davidovic and lawyer James Netto for the latest on Cathy, Peter and Yvonne, the Kenyans who are seeking relationships with their army dads. We also hear about the response from listeners to the series.

Searching for Soldier Dad follows DNA detectives as they track down the British soldiers who fathered children in Kenya then disappeared. With access to every stage of this cutting-edge process, we followed a team of lawyers and a leading geneticist as they travelled to Kenya to help locate the British soldiers who fathered children then vanished, witnessing the groundbreaking legal and scientific detective work used to find the missing dads.

Searching for Soldier Dad is a BBC Long Form Audio production for the BBC World Service.

Deep friendships and memories are made at a boarding school among the rice paddies in Lombok, Indonesia. But the lesson they’re taught to remember most is: “We hear and we obey.” And the person they’re expected to obey is the founder and headmaster — the man they’re told to call “Abah”, or “Father”. But when Yusron, the school’s golden boy, gets in touch over instagram with Zia — a fellow former student — she reveals something that begins to unravel all that he believes in.

This series of World of Secrets contains references to sexual abuse.

Listen to the Indonesian language version of the podcast here: bbc.com/indonesia/podcasts/p0btnmzx

Voice actors: Prilly Latuconsina, Omara Esteghlal, Paul Agusta Presenter: Rebecca Henschke Series producers: Endang Nurdin and Rebecca Henschke Sound recordings: Dwiki Marta Original music: Alffy Rev Sound design: Andy Fell Executive producer: Neil McCarthy Commissioning senior producers: Anne Dixey and Sarah Green Commissioning editor: Jon Manel

Yusron gets the permission he needs to start chasing the truth. Information begins flooding into the student detective WhatsApp group they set up. Memories from the alumni that now take on new significance and information from students still at their boarding school. They need to make sense of it but who can they trust with their evidence?

This series of World of Secrets contains references to sexual abuse.

Listen to the Indonesian language version of the podcast here: https://www.bbc.com/indonesia/podcasts/p0btnmzx

Voice actors: Prilly Latuconsina, Omara Esteghlal, Adelina Lece-Bere, Paul Agusta. Presenter: Rebecca Henschke Series producers: Endang Nurdin and Rebecca Henschke Sound recordings: Dwiki Marta Original music: Alffy Rev Sound design: Andy Fell Executive producer: Neil McCarthy Commissioning senior producers: Anne Dixey and Sarah Green Commissioning editor: Jon Manel

The students' former headmaster — the man they revered and called “Father” — knows all about their undercover investigation into him. Evidence Zia submitted just weeks ago to the body that oversees their school, after they promised to help them get justice. Instead a cover up has begun. They will record it all, but can Yusron, Zia and Sukma withstand the pressure they are now under?

This series of World of Secrets contains references to sexual abuse.

Listen to the Indonesian language version of the podcast here: https://www.bbc.com/indonesia/podcasts/p0btnmzx

Voice actors: Prilly Latuconsina, Omara Esteghlal, Adelina Lece-Bere, Paul Agusta. Presenter: Rebecca Henschke Series producers: Endang Nurdin and Rebecca Henschke Sound recordings: Dwiki Marta Original music: Alffy Rev Sound design: Andy Fell Executive producer: Neil McCarthy Commissioning senior producers: Anne Dixey and Sarah Green Commissioning editor: Jon Manel

It feels like Abah and the school has won. And they have lost. Yusron is torn between supporting Zia and the promise he made to his mum. But then they meet someone who knows exactly what they’re going through — because it happened to her. And now some crucial new information has come to light.

This series of World of Secrets contains references to sexual abuse.

Listen to the Indonesian language version of the podcast here: https://www.bbc.com/indonesia/podcasts/p0btnmzx

Voice actors: Prilly Latuconsina, Omara Esteghlal, Adelina Lece-Bere, Kartika Jahja, Astudestra Ajengrastri. Presenter: Rebecca Henschke Series producers: Endang Nurdin and Rebecca Henschke Sound recordings: Dwiki Marta Original music: Alffy Rev Sound design: Andy Fell Executive producer: Neil McCarthy Commissioning senior producers: Anne Dixey and Sarah Green Commissioning editor: Jon Manel

Classmates and teachers at the school urge Sukma to withdraw her allegations. But she’s going to go undercover to demand answers from Abah. Meanwhile, after three long years of dating online, Zia and Yusron are finally meeting in Cairo —will they feel the same about each other in real life? And then Sukma goes home to tell an important person the truth. While Yusron and Zia have one more call to make.

This series of World of Secrets contains references to sexual abuse.

Listen to the Indonesian language version of the podcast here: https://www.bbc.com/indonesia/podcasts/p0btnmzx

This audio was updated on 13th October 2026 to included a preview of the next World of Secrets season, Dr Skin.

Voice actors: Prilly Latuconsina, Omara Esteghlal, Adelina Lece-Bere, Paul Agusta, Mian Tiara, Kartika Jahja and Astudestra Ajengrastri. Presenter: Rebecca Henschke Series producers: Endang Nurdin and Rebecca Henschke Sound recordings: Dwiki Marta Original music: Alffy Rev Sound design: Andy Fell Executive producer: Neil McCarthy Commissioning senior producers: Anne Dixey and Sarah Green Commissioning editor: Jon Manel Investigation executive producer: Adam Jessel Investigation editor: Michael Simkin Investigation executive editor: Liz Gibbons Special thanks to the BBC News Indonesia team.

Shots ring out at a church guarded by gunmen in Lagos, Nigeria. Behind the blacked-out windows and high walls are secrets. In a pub in Oxford, England, a woman comes to us with a story. Hosts Charlie Northcott and Yemisi Adegoke investigate the cult of TB Joshua. Please note, some episodes in this season of World of Secrets contain graphic descriptions of sexual and physical violence, including sexual assault, rape and the language associated with it. This episode also contains strong language.

If you've been affected by any of the issues in this series, please contact support organisations in your own country. For a list of organisations in the UK that can provide support for survivors of sexual abuse, go to bbc.co.uk/actionline

Archive: The Synagogue Church of All Nations, Journeyman Pictures

Presenters: Charlie Northcott and Yemisi Adegoke Series Producer: Rob Byrne Series Editor: Philip Sellars Executive Producer: Georgia Catt Commissioning Editor: Jon Manel

This podcast is made in collaboration with BBC Eye Investigations, with original investigation by Charlie Northcott and Helen Spooner.